GSM operators add 11 mn new subscribers in April

Indian GSM telecom operators added 11.25 million new subscribers in the month of May, taking the all-India cellular subscriber base to 444 million, according to a data released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Bharti Airtel, the number one GSM operator, added 3 million new users in May, taking its total subscriber base to 133.6 million, it said.

Bharti is the market leader, with a 30.07 per cent market share.

Rival Vodafone Essar added 2.59 million subscribers during the month, taking its subscriber base to 106.3 million, it said.

Idea Cellular added 1.4 million users in May, taking its total user base to 66.72 million, while Aircel -- in which Malaysia's Maxis owns a majority stake -- added 1.6 million customers to reach the 40.07 million-mark.

State-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL registered 1.04 million and 40,297 new users respectively, which took their subscriber base to 65.79 million (BSNL) and 4.85 million (MTNL).

The COAI data excludes RCom figures.

India is the fastest growing mobile telephony market globally. There are 15 operators operating in the growing wireless market and about 14-15 million new mobile (GSM and CDMA) users are added every month.